Seven Turkish cargo vessel crewmembers still missing after eight found dead

Eight seafarers died and seven are still missing after a Turkish-flagged cargo vessel went down about two nm off the coast of Misurata, Libya.

Six crewmembers were rescued by port personnel and the Libyan coastguards.

Reda Issa, a representative of the Libyan coast guard, told Reuters that a search for the remaining seven crewmembers is still under way, but has been hampered by bad weather conditions.

“The search is underway for the seven missing, but the sea is very rough and the waves are high,” confirmed Navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem.

He blamed the casualty on the age of the ship and the severity of the weather conditions.